Can-opener.



- E. WALTHER.

CAN OPENER. V APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911.

1,008,932. Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. WALTHEiL I 1 CAN OPENER: APPLICATION FILED JUNE 27, 1911. f1,008,932. Patented Nov. 14, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wit- ED S PATENT OFFICE? I EMIL WALTHER, 0F W ERDAU, GERMANY, -ASSIGNQRT0 '1'. A; SATTLER, OF

' NEUKIRCHEN, GERMANY, A FIRIVL' CAN-OPE ER.

I Specification of'LettersPatent. v 'Patehted Nov, 14, 1911,vApplication filed June 27, 1911. Serial No. 635,627.

-To all whom at may conaem:

.f0llowing. is..a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawing. The invention is a contrivance for open mgconserve and similar boxes with which, as

is well-known, a circular knife is applied ,that cutting into the tinwhile being turned. With the box-openers of this kind and hitherto inuse, the circular knife is quite firmly situated, and it is for thisreason that on the one hand no fixed depth of the cut can be set and onthe other hand the knife cannot get over possible obstructions incutting, siich as for instance soldering.

The nature of the invention "consists in the advantage that the shaft ofthe knife admits of being displaced in a perpendicular plane and hastheadvantage of being movable in the direction of .the major axis of thesleeve,

the force of a spring. tending to move the knife nearer to the r1m.After putting the box on a table capable of being perpendicularlyadjusted, the axle of the knife is so far lowered through anadjusting-screw that the knife cuts through the tin just at the surface,and the cut is close to the rim of the box. If the axle of the. knife isturned while the box is moved at the same time, then the cover iscut-out without the formation of burs. The axle of the knife is more orless displaced toward the middle of the box if the knife meets with anyobstructions, such as soldering or the like. v

The drawing represents such a contrivance for opening conserve andsimilar boxes in 4 one form of execution.

Figures 1 and 2 are side views of the contrivance with differentpositions of the single parts. Fig. 3 shows a front view in connectionwith Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 gives thereto a view from above.-

The frame A is so fastened by means of a clamp C, on a plate a, as to beremovable, and it carries in its upper box-like end a sleeve 6, movablein a perpendicular plane around the pin 0?. Therein rests in an axiallymovable -manner and permanently pressed by spring 7 toward the rightside the axle h of a circular knife 5. connected with the hand-crank g,the knife serving inthe well-known manner for cutting open There issituated the covers of boxes. closely beneath this knife, the axle ofwhich can be raised or lowered' ad libitum by means of the screw is,an'clementsupporting in the well-known manner the conserve on similarbox m and capable of :beingeasily taken out, as for instance anelastichoop 11, whereby the box is prevented from slipping sidewise while beingslowly turned beneath thecircular knife, so that accordingly the coverof the box cut out is a circular disk. A table 19, capable of beingperpendicularly adjusted by means of the toothed mechanism .0 withseveral bands q and a movable roll 1" for the box, as already employedwith other I box-openers, serves as a support to. the box and holds itin such a secure way between the bands referred to and on theroll thateven an unskilled-person is able to cut out the cover in a thoroughlyperfect manner.

If boxes are to be opened that are not-circular .and have aneight-angled or similar base, then the hoop n is removed in the mannershownby Fig. 2, and the plate ufastened to the bar S. by means of thefinger screw 25 is carried beneath the circular knife, whereupon the boxis drawn along against the part '1; and may be cut open by the ro tatingknife.

If the depth of the cut is properlyset, the cover of a box is easily cutopen so that on account of. the movableness of its axle the knife avoidsall obstacles. Moreover the formation of much bur, as is unavoidablewith a large depth of the cut, is impossible. The cutting-plane of-the'circular knife may be also so arranged as to be parallel to the cover ofthe box, so that the knife cuts into the lateral walling of the box andthus separates the cover. (See po-',' sition of the box as shown indotted lines in Fig. 1.)

Patent claims:

1. A can opener comprising av frame, a sleeve pivoted on said frame androtatable in a vertical plane, a set screw to maintain said sleeve atthe desired angle, a shaft disposed lengthwise in said sleeve, acircular cutter on one end of said shaft and a crank on the other end ofsaid shaft, and a .verti cally adjustabletable beneath said cutter,substantially as described. Y

. 24A can opener comprlsing a frame, a sleeve rotatable 1n a'verticalplane on a pin on said frame, a set screw to maintain said sleeve in thedesired position, a shaft disposed lengthwise in said sleeve, a circularcutter on one end of said shaft, means to rotate said shaft on theopposite end thereof,

resilient means I permitting axial movement 7 of said cutter, avertically adjustable table having a roller beneath said cutter, and anexpansible can holder adjacent the top of the can, as specified. I

3. A can opener comprising a frame, a sleeve rotatable in a verticalplane on a pin on said frame, a set screw to maintain said sleeve in thedesired position, a shaft longitudinally disposed in said sleeve, acircular pansible can holder adjacent the top of the 4 can, means toremovably attach said can holder to said frame and means to hold theside of a can against said cutter,'as herein set forth. o

In testimonywhereof I aflix my signature.

EM'IL WALTHER. In the presence of I J. KLUHPEN, CHARLES NEUER.

